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SEO Basics For Small Businesses

04/11/2016

What Is SEO?

SEO or search engine optimisation is a way to divert web traffic to your site using keywords and key phrases. At the most basic level, SEO involves using well researched phrases in your web content to move your site up the ranks in search engines like Google and Bing.

If you want people find your site, you have to use SEO so that Google (and the rest) know to include you in their search results when a user types a specific word or phrase into the search engine.

How Important Are Keywords?

Keywords are at the heart of SEO but they have to be used correctly. For example, if you run a consultancy business, you need to ensure your keywords and key phrases not only reflect this but also your niche and area too.

If you’re an IT consultant and you are based in Kent, then you should opt for key phrases like ‘IT consultant in Kent’ or ‘Kent based IT consultant’. Furthermore, if you were based in Hythe in Kent, you might want to try key phrases like ‘IT consultant in Hythe’ and other more specific variations.

Avoid using broad terms like ‘IT consultant’, as you will find yourself very far down the pecking order and will likely fail to reach your target audience.

Keyword Stuffing & Quality Content

Beware the dangers of keyword stuffing when writing content for your website or blog, as this can actually work against you.

There was a time when stuffing your content full of keywords, with little regard for the quality of content, still meant you could get to the top of search engines like Google. However, Google has now changed the way it reads content, meaning that sites can actually be punished for filling their site with keywords just to climb the ranks.

Instead, fill your site with high quality, readable content merged with audience-specific keywords. Ensure your content flows well and avoid simply dropping in phrases or words just because you think you have to. If you don’t think you have the time or experience to craft compelling content on a regular basis, you can pay a copywriter to manage this for you.

SEO And Social Media

SEO and social media go hand in hand. The bigger presence your business has on social media sites, the more likely you are the travel up Google’s ranks, making it easier for potential customers to find you based on your keywords.

Update your blog regularly, post at least once a day on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and get into the habit of interacting with your followers to really boost your online presence.

SEO Tips

There are so many different things you can do to improve your SEO skills and the quality of SEO on your site.

Start a blog

Create content that ages well

Avoid broad key terms

Use Google keyword planner

Research, then integrate internal linking

Use search site data from your own website

Use Google Analytics

Try different variations to find what works best for you

Conclusion

These are just a few of the basic SEO tips you should consider when crafting content for your site or blog and should be enough to get you started. Once you’re comfortable with the idea of SEO and begin to understand how it affects your website traffic, you’ll start finding it easier to target your business to the right people.

SEO is long term strategy, so don’t get disheartened if you don’t start seeing results right away and remember – if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.